We know of Jesus as the victim who trades His live for ours, who dies the sinner’s death, who goes to the cross to surrender Himself so that we do not die eternally. This is true and this is the heart of the Gospel. But, it is important that we also remember that Jesus is also the victor, the conquering conqueror who defeats the devil, going so far as to march to the very depths of hell to proclaim His victory and not even the gates of hell can withstand Him. This morning’s Gospel, in a powerfully prophetic way, demonstrates this very power of Jesus.
In the country of the Gerasenes, Jesus is met by a man who was plagued by demons - so many demons they simply are named “Legion”. One cannot be too graphic when describing this poor man’s story. It was the stuff of Hollywood – a man so out-of-his-mind with demonic possession that He was banished, excommunicated from the community, shackled and locked away from the proper elements of society. This poor man was literally left for dead, living among the tombs, until he would break free and run, naked and screaming into the wilderness. We hear this story and we’re not sure if we should cry in sympathy or writhe in fear. If you were to encounter him, part of you wants to look; part of you wants to hide your eyes.
Today, if we encountered a man like this, he would be court-ordered to be be pharmaceutically sedated and placed into an institution for his safety and well being. Chances are he would never see a pastor, but he would see plenty of mental health professionals. But this was real – neither a movie nor a psychotic episode at all. We have lost our sense of awe with the devil. We treat him like a Hollywood story. In fact, I had a teenager tell me exactly that, once – that the devil was a legend parents made up to get kids to go to church. He’s quite real. And so was this man’s demonic possession.
There was no help for this man. I’m sure the Jewish exorcists had tried. They had exorcists, but no one could help this man. Not until Jesus came to town.
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” The demons knew who Jesus was. Never forget: Jesus is even the Lord over satan and his minions, and they tremble in fear at the sight of Him. They know the power of Jesus’ word, and they know their time is short. I’m convinced that these satanic confessors said this to see what He was up to and to garner unwanted attention for Jesus. Anything to keep Jesus away from His cross and appointed victory over the devil. His resurrection would be their exorcism, and they want to do what they can to deter Jesus’ cross-focused journey.
We know Jesus to be merciful. But when they plead, “I beg you, do not torment me,” Jesus does not show mercy. He’s come to judge them and to undo their work. Knowing their fate, they try to negotiate with Him. The Abyss is their place of eternal torment and imprisonment. They would rather be in a herd of pigs. This is, after all, Gentile country. You’d never see a herd of pigs in Israel. But here in the Gerasenes, there are pigs, and with the permission of Jesus, they become demon-possessed pigs that rush headlong down a steep bank and into the lake and are drowned. All this, right in front of the herdsmen looking on, watching their profits go over a cliff like lemmings into the sea.
The scene was too much… over the top weird…frightening. And that Jesus is just too much trouble to have around. He showed up and all hell literally broke loose, and now there’s a herd of precious pigs floating in the sea. Jesus, 1; Demons, 0. The miracle is a picture preview of the judgment of the devil and his demons, when they will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Meanwhile, the man is now clothed and in his right mind. Just like that. No extensive rehab. Nothing. Just a word from Jesus, the demons depart, and the man’s life and mind is in order again. Everything that had plagued him had gone into the pigs and was drowned in the water. And all with nothing more than a word from Jesus. He wanted to follow Jesus, join Jesus’ band of disciples and go back to Galilee with Jesus. Who could blame him? He wanted to be a part of this man’s group who had literally saved his life from a legion of demons. But Jesus had other plans for him. He sent him away, back to his home. He would be Jesus’ “man on the ground” in the Gerasenes, among the Gentiles, outside the borders of Israel. “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” He’s of much more use to Jesus where he is, “to declare the praises of Him who called him out of darkness into His marvelous light.” And that’s what he did. He told everyone in the whole city what Jesus had done for him. And you can be sure the people listened.
Our terrors and curiosities are piqued by stories such as this. We want to know more about the dark and horrible realm of the demonic. There are tv shows and movies about this stuff. Skeptics scoff at the whole thing and call it silly superstition. Others are terrified by it and find a demon under every rock and in every closet. The Scriptures are relatively silent on the matter, and for good reason. There’s no good that comes from the darkness, only death and destruction. There is the Triune God, and there is the Devil. That’s it. If it’s not Jesus, it’s satan. There is such a creature as the devil, Satan, the Evil One, the father of lies and a murderer. He tempted Eve, our mother, to disobey God’s Word. He stalks about like a roaring lion, seeking the stray and the weak in the herd, looking for someone to devour. There are demons and forces of darkness operating in the world. People ask me, what do I think about ghosts. Well, there is no evidence for ghosts in the Bible, but there are plenty of incidents with demons. And it would be just like the father of lies and his hordes to pose as disembodied souls. I wouldn’t even trust Caspar, the friendly ghost, or Tony Danza catching my touchdown pass.
We are not as bad off as that poor man in the Gerasenes. We have homes. We have our sanity, mostly. If there is a legion of demons, they are pretty much quiet. But the darkness of our Sin is just as deep. The bonds that hold us captive to Sin and Death are just as strong as the chains that bound that man. We walk in the valley of the shadow of death each and every day of our lives, usually unaware of the forces of evil that surround us. There are the occasional outbursts where pure and unvarnished “evil” rears its ugly head and draws our attention. The mass shootings at schools and theaters and college campuses are one example. We may call the perpetrators “insane” because that’s the best description we have. But underlying it is a demonic darkness we don’t even want to discuss.
We are powerless against this. But Christ isn’t. He entered this present darkness to bring the light of His life. The darkness trembled when Jesus prayed in the darkness, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” The darkness trembled at the sound of His “It is finished”. He, who on the cross was as naked as that poor man in the Gerasenes, rose clothed in glory in the radiance of the morning sun. There is no darkness Jesus hasn’t entered. No death He hasn’t died. No sin He hasn’t born. No hell into which He hasn’t descended. There is no place where Jesus is not Lord.
You are baptized into Christ. You were reminded of this again this morning. Freed from the chains of Sin and Death. Clothed with the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus is the healing of your mind as well as your body and soul. He sets our minds right again in repentance. A change of mind. A healing of the mind. Whatever plagues you, whatever troubles you, whatever isolates you from others and drives you into your personal hell, Jesus has dealt with in His death. You are a child of Light, a child of the Day, a child of God. Jesus’ death and life are yours. His body and blood are yours. His words of life ring in your ears. He is your mighty fortress, your shield, your strength against the terrible forces of darkness and death.
Return to your home, your life, your vocation, your family and friends and neighbors, and declare how much God has done for you. He has called you out of darkness to live in His marvelous light. He has forgiven you, raised you, clothed you, freed you, glorified you. You are baptized, freed from the Law, sons of God, heirs of eternal life, clothed with Christ. You have His Spirit to ward off all the unclean spirits, the Spirit that cries out “Abba! Father!” from the depths of your heart to the very heart of God. You are no longer a slave but a son, an heir. You are free. So much to tell. So much to receive.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen
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